Symptoms

Pain is the main symptom of fibromyalgia.

The areas where pain occurs are called tender points. These points are found in the soft tissue on the back of the head, neck, shoulders, chest, lower back, hips, elbows, and knees. The pain then spreads out from these areas. The qualities of the pain are:

It may be mild to severe.

It may feel like a deep ache, or a stabbing, burning pain.

It may feel like it is coming from the joints, although the joints are not affected.

People with fibromyalgia tend to wake up with body pain and stiffness. For some people, pain improves during the day and gets worse at night. Some people have pain all day long.

Pain may get worse with:

Physical activity

Cold or damp weather

Anxiety and stress

Most of the people with fibromyalgia have fatigue, depressed mood, and sleep problems. Many people say that they cannot get to sleep or stay asleep, and they feel tired when they wake up.

Exams and Tests

To be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, you must have had at least 3 months of widespread pain with one or more of the following:

Ongoing problems with sleep

Fatigue

Thinking or memory problems

It is not necessary to find tender points during the exam to make a diagnosis.

Results from the physical exam, blood and urine tests, and imaging tests are normal. These tests may be done to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms. Studies of breathing during sleeping may be done to find out if you have a condition called sleep apnea.

Fibromyalgia may also occur in people who have other forms of arthritis, such as:

Rheumatoid arthritis

Osteoarthritis

Spondyloarthritis

Systemic lupus erythematosus

Treatment

The goals of treatment are to help relieve pain and other symptoms, and to help the person cope with the symptoms.